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BLS Lines
Bus de Luase hArd (Fernolian: Bus o Cemlidarr Uichill, Astrallic: Bus a'Luaiseaoch Áird, English: High Speed Bus), often shortened to BLS or BLS Línean, is a system of long-distance bus lines in Rockall that covers areas that are not served by the Rockallic train lines. These buses connect local public transport nodes with each other, thereby providing quick public transport connections between different regions. History Conception The BLS system started as a viscountcial initiative in the viscountcy of An Thir na Lóda na Núille in 1932 and consisted mostly of horsedrawn carriages which provided public transport between villages within the mountainous viscountcy. These lines differed from the other publically funded horsedrawn carriages in that they followed a preset shorter route which connected local public transport nodes, where multiple lines converged. Originally these carriages would follow their route twice a day towards and from the city of Abhairróigearr, once in the morning and once in the evening. In 1935, this increased to four times a day in both directions, and by 1939 the public transport system had gained so much popularity that small buses were used, driving in both directions eight times a day. Increased popularity The popularity of the system spread towards other neighbouring viscountcies at the beginning of the 1940s, with an extensive bus network covering the viscountcies of An Thir na Lóda na Núille, Deaschióste 's an Méourr, An Éainna, Aoin na Ghúireacheanne and Cóste Ígheainne. In 1946, after the ending of the Second World War, a federal high speed bus system was implemented, providing more connections to the already existing connections across the main island. The BLS system became the country's most important intercity public transport system during the 1950s, providing an extensive network across the island which called at all the important local public transport nodes. It was because of this national importance that the companies running the system, which was at that time still privately owned by several public transport companies, were opposed to the opening of the Purple Line between An Bhá nan Éirith Ghréine and Féichthbhann Ó Dhéase, which connected most of the Southern An Uinnia with the federal capital. Utilisation of highways and competing with train lines As more federal and national highways and roads were built during the 1960s and early 1970s, the network's focus shifted away from the cities as the public transport nodes more often were located along the highways and national roads, and because these roads provided a way for the buses to travel more quickly. BLS companies were again opposed to the opening of a train line, this time the Líchthiach Thiair Line, which provided quick connections across Líchthiach Thiair's and with the federal capital and Mhólanne. Though the connection between An Bhá nan Éirith Ghréine back then was still carried out by BLS lines, the train proved so popular especially along the South Loch Mhólanne Coast that several lines had to be discontinued due to impopularity and poor passenger numbers. BLS companies, again, opposed the opening of the train lines that form the current Rockallic railway system in 1984. The opening of these train lines saw a decrease in BLS line passenger numbers, but the majority of lines that competed with the new rail lines turned out to still be lucrative enough to maintain, be it in several cases at a lower rate. Nationalisation of the BLS system In 1986, the federal government of the earldom bought a majority of shares in all companies running the BLS lines. In 1990, the government held 100% of the shares in 8 out of 11 BLS companies. These companies were then nationalised, and new buses were implemented along the lines for increased comfort. The federal government implemented national guidelines for all BLS transport in 1997, standardising buses in terms of comfort, environmental friendliness, capacity and colour. Coverage The 52 BLS Lines cover 142 regional public transport nodes, connecting the high speed express bus lines with local bus lines. Lines For more information, see: list of BLS Lines. There are 52 BLS lines, numbered 1 to 17. The majority of lines are sublines existing as additions to or variations on a main line (e.g., line 11 consists of one main line with eight variations that connect the same and additional public transport nodes along various routes). Subroutes are numbered based on the main line that they belong to. All subroutes are triple-numbered (e.g., line 521 belongs to line 5; line 115 belong to line 11). Public transport nodes For more information, see the article on public transport nodes. Public transport nodes are local central bus stations where local buses join together. The only public transport node which is not called at by BLS lines is the An Bhá nan Éirith Ghréine Central Bus Station. There are 142 regional public transport nodes: *7 in the Rockallic Federal District *17 in Líchthiach Thiair *49 in Cóste Ígheainne *20 in An Móir Leautheinn *33 in An Thir na tÁirdteachd *16 in An Uinnia. Length The length of BLS Lines differ greatly per individual line, ranging from 9 miles on the 521 to 378 miles on the 172. Category:Seafaring Confederation Category:Public transport in Rockall